How can I get teachers to buy in to virtual and/or real time coaching without thinking I'm being evaluative?

I say you just do it! When teachers realize how helpful it is, then they will buy in. We can't often convince people of the benefits of things before they experience them.

One caveat: When I engage in a coaching cycle that uses virtual or real-time coaching (especially the first time), I make sure the coaching goal is very clear and teachers understand how it's going to work.

Ex: The teacher wanted to work on think-aloud as an instructional strategy. Together, we distinguished the difference between teaching and think aloud. We then established the cuing system that we would use during real time coaching. When the teacher fell into teaching mode, I would say, "Teaching..." If the teacher needed me to tag in, he would say, "Show me." After doing this a couple time, we didn't have to rely on the cuing system as much and it felt more natural.

Another example: A teacher wanted to stay focus on the mini-lesson and not waste instructional time. When he was "birdwalking" during a lesson, I would twirl my finger in the air. He would then be cued to get back to the mini-lesson. I was filming at the time, so I would note the times when his was tempted to "go off script" - we would then talk about the triggers and/or student responses that caused it. While he was more aware of the triggers that caused him to wonder, he was also more aware of student needs that required additional teaching. He then began planning with a deeper understanding of his students' needs.

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